'The Chinese press'in the past few days has reported an interview with Mr, Wa Wen-tien, Chict of he! Labour Department' of the Ministry of Industries, in which he expressed hhis views concerning the Consular Body's decision in the matter of the draft agreement Between the Shang-hal Municipal Council and the City Government of Shanghai on the factory Inspection issue. If Mr, Wu is correctly reported he stated' that if the views of the Consular Body are put Into force, two different sere of Taws will be applied by one factory Inspection organ to workers of the same nationallly and. in the same Jdistrict—what he terms Chinese HFactory Inspection Regulations against Chinese factories and those owned by foreigners without consular jurisdieton, and Municipal licence regula-ons against those owned by foreign national under extraterritorial juris diction, It is reported that he says that no arguments are required to show the unfairness of this measure, 'A Ilcence, he says, can never contain the whole of" the 'Chinese Pactory Inspection Regulations. 'The "Shang-hal Times" in dealing with this statement rightly' states that regulations under Council licensing need not, differ from the contents of portions of the Chinese Government Factory Act which would be enforced under agreement, "There never could be any Jatention to differentiate, for the Couneit obviously must enforce the same standards against all nationals, As was previously noted in. this journal, the Council was content 19 have the methods of enforcement implicit, while the consuls require an explicit statement, But though the Consular Body requires the clear inclusion of exact machinery of en~ forcement, implying differing methods, differing standards are unthinkable. Negotiations which have proceeded so Jong with the Chinese authorities fare proof of 'a desire for equal standards inside and outside the 'Settlement, and to imply that there could be' any varying standards within the Council's jurisdiction 4s mischievously to complicate an issue in which mutual goodwill has already done much to remove difleulties,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.